How many species have already been hunted to extinction?

Answers

It’s impossible to give an exact answer for this, or even a good estimate, if your question is extended to how many species have gone extinct from human impacts. Scientists are cataloging thousands of new species every year, and many go extinct even before we record them because of habitat encroachment or other impacts. For hunting specifically, there aren’t all that many. The most famous example is perhaps the woolly mammoth in prehistoric times. Many fish, birds, and large mammals are nearly extinct (classified as “Endangered” or “Threatened”) because we have hunted them for their meat.